Educational Success

MEET CAVESHA...

Better Tomorrows first met Cavesha when she was just 10-years-old. An exceptionally shy child growing up in a single parent household, she began attending the Better Tomorrows Computer Center at Belmont Heights Estates. She quickly became a regular participant at programs offered by the Center including a FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) prep class.

Better Tomorrows staff realized that Cavesha had a great propensity for learning and a strong drive to succeed. The staff decided to create a special position for the quiet albeit eager 5th grader. They hoped that providing Cavesha with the special position of Student Assistant would help build her confidence.

Just a few months later, thanks in large part to Better Tomorrows’ knowledge of community educational resources, Cavesha was told of an opening at a local private school, Academy Preparatory. The middle school boasted an excellent curriculum with high educational standards. Furthermore, each student who tested into the program was allotted a needs-based scholarship. Better Tomorrows staff provided Cavesha’s mother with information on the program and assisted in her application. Cavesha tested into the program and earned a scholarship to Academy Preparatory that extended for all three years of middle school. Cavesha and her mother worked with Better Tomorrows one-on-one case management staff to establish secondary education goals, enroll in out-of-school-time programming, and set the family support standards Cavesha needed for academic success.

By the end of middle school, Cavesha had effectively used the resources and encouragement provided by Better Tomorrows. She was an accomplished student with defined aspirations for the future. For high school, she enrolled in the Academy of Holy Name on full-scholarship and later graduated with distinguished honors. Now at Florida State University, she aspires to one day become a hospital administrator.

Cavesha still stops by the Better Tomorrows Computer Center to share updates about her studies. Having recognized at a young age the power of a meaningful support system, Cavesha is now a member of an organization that mentors girls aged seven to seventeen. She shares that she is eager to not only achieve her own personal goals, but to positively impact the community that helped her fulfill her dreams. Cavesha’s transformation from a shy, self-conscience student to an outgoing academic role model was a truly remarkable metamorphosis. She says of her time at the Center, "It helped me gain a sense of responsibility, and gave me a lifelong support system that encourages me to reach heights unimaginable."